Herald Master Chief: ‘Fate’ Led Him into Coast Guard NEWS By JACK FICHTER offi cer of Coast Guard Training Center, and mistakenly went to a Coast Guard Cape May, said O’Neill told her his en- recruitment offi ce. DI GESTS CAPE MAY — After 32 years of ser- tire career was shaped by “fate, chance, The year was 1975 and O’Neill was vice in the U.S. Coast Guard, Command or divine intervention.” soon on a bus to the Training Center in Go Swimming Master Chief James W. O’Neill ended She said his career began in Phila- Cape May. He signed up for electronics his career June 15 right where it began delphia where he had intended to school after basic training and quickly CREST HAVEN — County Health Depart- in Cape May. enlist in the U.S. Navy, but took a advanced to Chief Petty Officer, said ment tests of 67 ocean and bay recreational Captain Sandra L. Stosz, commanding wrong turn after leaving the subway (Page A6 Please) sites June 11 found all within acceptable O’NEILL limits. The state-set limit for enterococcus bac- teria is 104 per 100-milliter sample. Health department water monitoring tests of 48 environmental sites, where recreational ac- tivities are not recommended, found all with It's acceptable readings. For updated reports, call Inside. the hotline, 465-2422. No More Subaru It's Your AVALON — You won’t see a yellow Subaru Summer (Page A12 Please) Guide. Today’s Select Spout Off What do those red fl ags on the beach mean? I asked the lifeguards and got different answers. Is the water safe to go in? —Wildwood Turn to Page A30 for more Spout Offs or PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY THE SEAWAVE CORP. log onto www.CapeMayCountyHerald.com to Vol. 43 No. 25 Copyright 2007 Seawave Corp. All rights reserved. June 20, 2007 1508 Route 47, Rio Grande NJ 08242-1402 see them all! Consultant: ‘Safe Haven’ Keeps Kids Safe By MEGAN GILLIN-SCHWARTZ CREST HAVEN — Barry Keefe has ten days to get the word out. Food banks, supermarkets, churches, laundromats; after 22 years as an administrator with Cape Counseling Services and fi ve years teaching in the social work department at Stockton, Keefe has taken to the street. “As administrator and teacher, you don’t usually stuff envelopes or post-signs at Wawa,” Keefe told the Herald. As consultant to the county’s effort to pre- vent the abandonment of infants under the Safe Haven Act, Keefe is in charge of utilizing the $10,000 grant provided by the state Depart- ment of Children and Families June 4 by the Susan Avedissian end of the state fi scal year, June 30. Darlene Marks of Rio Grande stands in the last row of grave sites at the Cape May County Veterans Cemetery, where her husband is Enacted in 2000, the Safe Haven Act allows buried. She is asking freeholders to allow the fl owers she’s planted to remain there. With her, granddaughter Annika, 5. a parent to surrender an infant anonymously at . any hospital emergency room or police station up to 30 days after the child’s birth. Family Seeks Reprieve for Grave Site Flowers Forty-seven states have enacted similar laws, By SUSAN AVEDISSIAN But they’re fi ghting against the elements out Darlene and Tammy came to freeholders including New York, Pennsylvania and Dela- there in Section G, in the last row of plots in the June 12 to persuade them to allow the bulbs ware. Unless there is evidence of child abuse, CREST HAVEN — Tammy Marks’ father’s cemetery. The sun beats down and scorches any to stay. no charges are brought against the parent. Safe grave site at the Cape May County Veteran’s grass; the weeds have won out. Splotchy soil But the cemetery’s rules are designed for Haven was passed in response to situations Cemetery is a tiny oasis; fl owers spring forth and lack of shade trees contrast with the front uniformity, said Freeholder Gerald Thornton. similar to that of Ashley Ray Everson, 24, of from bulbs she’s planted on the plot where her sites in the cemetery, which are lush, shaded “I have to ask you who gave you permis- Ventnor, who was sentenced to seven years in father, Thomas Marks, an Air Force veteran by glorious memorial trees. sion to do all that,” said Thornton. “We try to state prison June 15 for aggravated manslaugh- who fought in the Vietnam War, is buried. “The front of the cemetery is great. The back maintain consistency.” ter in the July 2006 death of her baby who was Tammy and her mother Darlene lovingly is deplorable,” said Tammy. “Everyone here “I will commend you for making that effort found in a trash bin in Atlantic City. tend the site three times a week to maintain the devoted their lives to their country and they and doing that for your dad,” he said. “At In his second term as chairperson for the day lilies, tulips and Calla lilies they’ve planted, deserve more dignity.” the same time we’re trying to make it so that Human Services Advisory Council, Keefe is carefully selected to bloom at intervals through In addition to the elements, they’re up it’s consistent. The problem is that whoever on hiatus from his chairperson position until the warm months. They’ve planted grass and against cemetery rules that prohibit planting gave you that permission is contrary to our September in order to focus on Safe Haven laid down sod. Darlene Marks, almost 70, often fresh fl owers, bulbs or grass. policy.” awareness. His effort includes mailing fl iers to lugs several gallon plastic containers of water, Floral decorations are limited to fresh fl owers Part of the reason Tammy and Darlene all members of the county Chamber of Com- to help keep the mini-garden alive. in bronze coated containers. (Page A4 Please) merce asking them to post note-cards near time-card slots. He is also sending a letter to every church in the county. Liquor Licenses On Islands Debated A father to one recently married 28-year-old son, Keefe is looking forward to becoming a No Outdoor Bar Yet at The New Princeton Wildwood Counts On (Page A6 Please) By MEGAN GILLIN-SCHWARTZ was raised as to whether the new footprint of New Liquor Licenses the building had been properly approved by County Beach AVALON — What might have been a quick the Planning Board. Avalon Tax Assessor Jeff By LAUREN SUIT approval June 13, ended in more delays for Hesley was called before council to clarify the Conference: Fish, permission of the refurbished Princeton Bar issue. Hesley told council, if construction is WILDWOOD — Will developers want to & Grill and Circle Tavern to serve alcohol an expansion of use, as this property was an fork out the funds needed for a hotel/motel Water, Funding outdoors. expansion of “dining service,” it requires ad- liquor license, even as they wait for the state to Representatives of the Princeton requested a ditional parking; one parking space, for every OK the approvals on their high-rise projects? By CHRISTINE COTE place-to-place transfer of its retail consumption 600 square feet. The city is counting on the success of a license, after completing millions of dollars in Although the property already has adequate public sale of those licenses, predicted to bring CREST HAVEN — A crowded and diverse renovations to the downtown property this parking on site, and in the surrounding area, about $500,000 of revenue into the city, to dais faced a less than half-fi lled room of spec- spring. Hesley said that any change in the footprint of balance the municipal budget. tators as Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel The request was deferred after the question a building requires a site plan review by the The city voted 2-1 on June 13 to introduce kicked off the annual county Beach Conference Planning Board. an ordinance that would create three additional Monday. Section Spotlights Borough Solicitor Stephen Barse advised hotel/motel liquor licenses. The main messages of the morning were: council it had the option of acting on the place- To qualify for the license, the hotel or motel optimism that stalled federal funding might to-place transfer, and letting the zoning issues must have a minimum of 100 guest-sleeping be loosened, a new test is being studied to get Ray Rebmann on rooms, according to the ordinance. faster readings on beach water cleanliness, Wildwood’s Mibsters be dealt with later. Council did not want to overstep the authority of the Planning Board. If approved, it would bring the total number there’s movement on trying to mine the many See Page B17 “This is not a zoning application,” Attorney licenses of that kind to fi ve. Two hotel/motel dredge spoil sites in the state for possible use Dennis Riley said in defense of Scott Zurawski licenses were previously created in 2001. One to replenish bay beaches, and the recreational sold for $250,000 in 2005 to the developer of fi shing industry here is off to a poor start this Couple buys and Lizanne Tracy, co-owners of the liquor li- cense who were also present at the meeting. the high-rise Noveau Wave Hotel, PRI Rio As- year. historic Cape May sociates LLC located at the site of the former Invited speakers were U.S. Rep. Frank LoBi- house for $100. The earliest the issue can be revisited is the next council meeting, which has been Rio Motel at Rio Grande and Ocean avenues.